Chord finder for tenor banjos



May 14, 1935- R. L. GOLDEN CHORD FINDER FOR TNOR BANJOS Filed July 26, 1932 Snuentor F1a. d

Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHORD 'FINDER FOB TENOR. BANJQS Roy Lee Golden, Tucson, Ariz. Applicacn July Z6, 1932, No. 624,705

3 Claims.

IH invention relates to chord nders for tenor banos, and the obiects of my invention are:

First, to provide a device of this class which is educational in its nature in that it is based upon the mathematics oi.' music and gives they student a comprehensive understanding of the instrument and the music played thereon;

Second, to provide a device of this class which enables one to locate all the possible eornbinations of nnger-positions `l'or playin! the major, minor triad or dominant seventh on the same note as a root without altering or adjusting the device, once the desired key is found;

to provide a device o! this class which is in the form oi a graphic lepre-sentation of the chord combinations and inciudes means so arranged that the chord combinations o! only one key is visible at a time;

Fourth, to provide a device of this class which is easily and quickly adjmted to indicate the chords or the various km:

Fifth, to provide a device of this class which is particularly simple o! manufacture and oi' operation. there being but one moving part; and

Sixth, to provide on the whole Ao. novelly constructed chord finder for tenor banjos, which is durable, emcient in its action and which will not readily deteriorate or get out o! order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement oi'parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set torth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of my chord finder with parts and portions broken away and in section to facilitate the illustration; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view o! the top member; Fig. 3 is a plan view ol.' the slide or finger position indicating member; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the bottom or note indicating member with fragmentary' portions of the slide and top member shown in position thereon to facilitate the illustration; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through 5-5 oi' Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawing.

Top member I, bottom member 2, slide member 3, binding 4, and tab 5 constitute the principal parts and portions of my novel chord nder.

The top member I and a bottom member 2 are provided. These members are flat, rectangular and of equal size. Their margins are bound together by binding strip 4 or the like. l

Three elongated slots Ia are formed in the top member I at its central portion. 'The slot` Ia 5 extends longitudinally with respect to the top member-and are in parallel disposed relation with each other. Above the upper end of each slot are the following characters: C G D A. These represent the four strings of the tenor banjo and are arranged in alinement with the graphical representation rof these strings shown on a slide member 3 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. 'I'hese rst slots are designated by the word major printed at the upper end thereof while the remaining slots are designated minor and seventh" respectively. These represent' the typical chords. In the two webs formed between the three slots Ia there are provided small aperatures Ib.

The top and bottom members I and 2 slidably receive therebetween the slide member 3. The slide member 3 is slightly longer than the distance between the ends of the slot Ia and the remote corresponding ends of the top member l. Printed or otherwise formed upon the slide member3 are groups of longitudinally extending lines 3a. Each group comprises four lines corresponding to the four strings of a tenor banjo and are disposed so as to register with the characters C G D A at the ends of the slots Ia. The lines 3a are tranversed by a plurality of cross lines 3b which represent the frets of the banjo. The slots Iain the top member I are 'just of sumcient length to expose the number of fret lines 3b corresponding to the number of frets provided on the neck or finger boards of the tenor banjo.

The slide member 3 is pierced by a plurality of apertures 3c which are disposed so as to designate places on the finger board of the banjo where one places his finger in order to produce the desired chord. 'I'he apertures associated with the group of string and fret representing lines, designated I, and corresponding to the major scale of the banjo are arranged so that they designate all of the positions of the three notes forming the major chords. Similarly, the apertures corresponding with the second group of lines, designated II, indicate the position of the three notes which form the minor chords. In a like manner the apertures corresponding to the third or last group of lines, III, designate the four notes which form the seventh chords.

The relative position of the various chords on the ringer board of the banjo do not vary but their positions as a whole are shifted on the finger board up or down to form the various scales, in conformity with the signature notes of the various keys. In order to indicate which scale -is exposed by the slots la, there is provided between the three groups of markings or lines, two colunms of characters, designated 3d which represent the various possible scales. These characters are disposed, one at a time, by the apertures lb. Thus, in Fig. 1, the C scale is exposed.

The bottom member 2 is provided with three groups of characters arranged in rows and co1- umns, designated I', II, and III. These groups of characters are arranged so that they would be exposed in their entirety by the slots la were it not for the slide member 3. The apertures 3c in the slide member expose certain of the characters in the several groups. The characters in the several groups represent the various possible notes produced by the banjo, the notes being progressively arranged in tones and half tones and in columns. The banjo is normally tuned so that without pressing the strings, the notes produced C G D A. Hence the notes in each column progress from the initial notes of the C G D A. Thus, the iirst row of each group of characters reads D flat, A flat, E flat and B flat. The next row reads D A E B, etc. Thus when the slide 3 is positioned so that the C chords are exposed, as shown in Fig. l, all the positions of the notes C E and G-which notes combine to form the C major chord-are exposed by the apertures 3b in the group I. Similarly, the characters exposed in the minor scale represented by the groups I and II', are C, E-iiat, and G-which notes combine to form the C minor chord. Also the characters representing the various possible positions of the C seventh chord, namely C, E, G, and B at.

In order to facilitate shifting of the slide members 3, there is provided a tab 5 which is secured thereto, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

It will be noted that the combination of the slide and the base member not only indicates the position of the ngers when playing the principal chords, but also indicates which notes are sounded on each string when these positions are played.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a chord finder for stringed musical instruments, a bottom member having a plurality of rows of note indicating indicia on its upper surface, a top member having a plurality of elongated openings therein and also having apertures interposed between said openings and a middle slide member interposed between said top and bottom members and having a plurality of rows of chord representing apertures therein, the rows in said bottom member middle member and the elongated openings in said top member being 1n alinement with each other and said middle member being slidable longitudinally relative to said top and bottom members.

2. In a chord finder for stringed musical instruments, a bottom member having a plurality of rows of note indicating indicia cn its upper surface, a top member having a plurality of elongated openings therein and also having apertures interposed between said openings and a middle u slide member interposed between said top and bottom members and having a plurality of rows of chord representing apertures therein, and also a pair of rows of scale indicating indicia interposed between said rows of apertures, the rows in said bottom member and chord representing apertures in said middle member being in alinement with each other and said middle member being slidable longitudinally relative to said top and bottom members.

3. In a chord finder for stringed musical instruments, a bottom member having a plurality of rows of note indicating indicia on its upper surface, a top member having a plurality of elongated openings therein and also having apertures interposed between said openings and a middle slide member interposed between said top and bottom members and having a plurality of rows of chord representing apertures therein, and also a pair of rows of scale indicating indicia interposed between said rows of apertures, the rows in said bottom member and chord representing apertures in said middle member being in. alinement with each other and said middle member being slidable longitudinally relative to said top and bottom members, and the rows of scale indicating indicia being in alinement with the apertures between the elongated apertures in the top member.

ROY LEE GOLDEN. 

